News briefs for September 3, 2019

Manitoba RCMP has located the vehicle of Master Cpl. Patrik Mathews in the RM of Piney.

The vehicle was found abandoned at 3:55 p.m. Monday. It appears to have been parked at the location — on a rural property off Highway 12 near Road 81 — for about a week.

The RCMP search for Mathews — who was recently identified by the Free Press as a recruiter for a neo-Nazi paramilitary group — continues.

“The RCMP believe Mr. Mathews may be under a significant amount of pressure due to this ongoing investigation and the extensive media coverage it has garnered,” the Mounties said in a written statement.

“Anyone who sees him is asked to call police immediately and to avoid engaging with him.”

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A phone scam is asking people in the Interlake-Eastern health region to disclose their health conditions and medications. 

Then, the scammer tries to sell you those medications.

The health authority does not use phone surveys, it said in a release Tuesday.

Personal health conditions should not be discussed on the phone, and should only be shared with your medical providers and family members, the health region said in a statement. 

Hang up if you receive a scam call, officials said. 

The RCMP arrested a 23-year-old man from Bloodvein First Nation in connection with a homicide in the northern community.

On Sept. 2, officers arrived at a home in Bloodvein to respond to reports of an assault, and found a 35-year-old man dead. Officers arrested a 23-year-old man on the scene and charged him with second-degree murder.

The RCMP identified the accused as Lucas Duck. He has since been remanded into custody, and will appear in court Wednesday.

Bloodvein RCMP and the RCMP Major Crime Services are continuing to investigate.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes announced on Tuesday they’ve traded starting pitcher Mitchell Lambson and reliever Victor Capellan to the Atlantic League.

Lambson, who was named the American Association’s 2019 Pitcher of the Year after going 13-3 with a 3.03 ERA this season, was dealt to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in exchange for a player to be named later. Capellan, who had 27 saves this season, was traded to the York Revolution for a player to be named later.

The trades don’t prevent Lambson or Capellan from returning to the Goldeyes in the future. 

The Goldeyes had their season come to an end on Monday. The Atlantic League plays an 140-game schedule that runs through late-September.

The Manitoba Bisons football team had a player from each side of the ball named as a Canada West university conference player of the week.

Fourth-year receiver Macho Bockru, who hauled in three touchdown passes Friday night as the Bisons cruised to a 43-19 triumph over the Saskatchewan Huskies at IG Field, was named the offensive player of the week.

He finished with six catches for 99 yards, the longest coming on a 37-yard TD toss from quarterback Des Catellier.

Meanwhile, fifth-year defensive end Derek Dufault was named the defensive player of the week. He had five tackles and a pair sacks to lead a defensive corps that forced seven turnovers by the Huskies.

The Bisons head to Calgary to play the Dinos on Friday at McMahon Stadium. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

A homeowner who surprised a burglar in his garage was treated after being hit with bear spray.

Winnipeg police said on Tuesday that the homeowner was treated at the scene on Sept. 3, at about 1:40 a.m., while the suspect was taken to hospital due to how intoxicated he was.

Police said the suspect broke into a parked vehicle on Almondel Key and used a garage door opener he found to enter a nearby garage. The homeowner heard a noise in the garage, surprised the suspect, and began chasing him on foot to the 3000 block of Pembina Highway.

Trent James Clifford Fraser, 19, has been charged with assault with a weapon, break and enter, and theft under $5,000.

Jumping from roof to roof may work in movies, but not real life.

Winnipeg police were on foot, chasing the driver of a vehicle which crashed into a light standard after they attempted to stop it on Sept. 2, at about 1:15 p.m., when the suspect climbed a house to the roof and tried to evade the officers by jumping to the next roof.

The suspect was unsuccessful and fell to the ground where he was taken into custody before going to hospital for his injuries. Police found he had 20 grams of heroin/fentanyl on him.

Two others, who were in the vehicle that police had wanted to pull over when they saw the driver was a person of interest, were also arrested.

Jordyn Mark Marcotte, 33, Mitchell Grant David Giasson, 25, and Jessie Michael Nagam, 24, have all been charged with drug trafficking and possession of a restricted weapon, while Marcotte has also been charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer and a charge of dangerous driving.

A 62-year-old woman was found dead Sunday evening at an island on the Lake of the Woods after an apparent bear attack, the Ontario Provincial Police said in a release Tuesday.

On Sunday, on Red Pine Island, a private vacation site near Sioux Narrows, Ont., the woman went to check on her dogs. When she didn’t return, her mother, in her eighties, notified the OPP.

Officers from the Rainy River District Detachment arrived on the scene, locating the woman nearby a bear. The woman was "evidently deceased." Her name is not being released until next of kin are notified.

One bear was killed by the police, and two more were on the scene, though the OPP say there is no significant risk to public safety; the island is secluded, and the vacation property is the only residence there.

Liberal leader Dougald Lamont’s strategy to tackle safety is to set-up 24 hour spaces where Manitobans can seek shelter and activities indoors.

“Winnipeg has been famous for the wrong reasons. We’ve had some of the highest crime rates in Canada," he told reporters at a press conference at St Johns Park.

Lamont promised Tuesday that if elected one week today, his party would spend $5 million annually on a “Safe Place” program. He said the funding will come out of the federal government’s crime prevention fund.

The program would include 24-hour “safe spaces” for kids with accessible recreational programming to deter them from getting involved in gangs, places for people experiencing domestic violence and warming facilities for homeless Manitobans.

The Liberal leader also promised to invest in a community-centered initiative that provides supportive services for people who want to turn their lives around.

Beloved French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour died last year, but fans of the popular tenor, who sang for royalty, popes and presidents, can get a taste of his talent when Formidable! Aznavour: The Story of the Legend comes to the Burton Cummings Theatre on Nov. 26.

A tribute to the singer, who was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN in 1998, it features vocalist Jules Grison and is directed by Gil Marsalla (Piaf! The Show). It takes the audience to the bohemian streets of Paris via projected images and video and pays homage to Aznavour’s 70-year career.

Tickets (prices TBA) go on sale Friday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster.ca.

One of the University of Manitoba Bisons most decorated alumnus and a true Canadian soccer star is heading into the Canada West Hall of Fame.

Two-time Olympic medalist Desiree Scott makes history as the first Bisons athlete to be named to the university conference’s hall of fame.

The Winnipegger played five years as a midfielder for Manitoba’s women’s soccer squad and was named Bisons female athlete of the year. She was Bison female athlete of year in 2009-10 and was named the Canada West rookie of the year in 2005 and was a four-time Canada West all-star. 

Scott made her debut with the Canadian national senior team in 2010 and has started more than 100 matches.

She was part of Canada’s bronze-winning Olympic teams in both 2012 (London) and 2016 (Rio) and represented her country at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015 (Canada) and 2019 (France).

With one week to go until Election Day, the Manitoba NDP made a trio of pharmacare-related promises Tuesday.

Leader Wab Kinew pledged to reinstate the provincial special drugs program, helping about 1,100 Manitobans access medications at an estimated cost of $900,000 per fiscal year. 

The NDP would also freeze pharmacare deductible rates and expand the provincial drug formula to include bio-similars approved by Health Canada (drugs with different compounds that can have the same effects as name-brand prescriptions).

Kinew said those two measures wouldn’t come at a cost and all three would be undertaken immediately if the NDP formed government.

City hall has whittled down its projected deficit to $7.7 million and expects more savings by the end of the year.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, city hall reported the second-quarter projected deficit had been lowered by $2.1 million, from the $9.8 million projected after the first three months of the year.

This year’s deficit is attributed to the snow-clearing budget and a heavy snowfall in February, which is expected to total $46.2 million by the end of the year — $11.4 million over budget.

On the plus side, Winnipeg Transit is projecting a year-end surplus of $3.4 million, which is attributed in part to diesel fuel costs being lower than budgeted.

Included in the overall Transit surplus is a $400,000 savings from a ban on voluntary overtime imposed as a negotiating tactic by Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505.

The public service expects the projected deficit will continue to decrease over the course of the year.

The Winnipeg Goldeyes (57-43) beat the Sioux Falls Canaries (38-62) 9-5 at Shaw Park on Monday afternoon.

The Goldeyes finish the season with 57 wins, which is the most in franchise history for a non-playoff team.

The Goldeyes also shattered two American Association records. Winnipeg finishes the year with a .987 team fielding percentage, besting the league record of .982 set by the 2017 Lincoln Saltdogs.

The Goldeyes also committed just 48 errors in 100 games, the fewest in league history. The 2017 Saltdogs held the previous record with 65 errors.